


What Will You Do Without Me?

by kuonji



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, First Meetings, Gen, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 13:30:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21119600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuonji/pseuds/kuonji
Summary: Haru saw Makoto for the first time shortly after he and his parents moved to his grandmother's house.  His parents took him along to meet their new neighbors down the hill, who had been a great help to his grandmother during her bout of sickness.  A little boy about his age peered out at him from behind his mother's legs.  Bored while his parents chatted with the other adults, he stared at the boy, and the boy uttered a brief cry and hid.





	What Will You Do Without Me?

Haru saw Makoto for the first time shortly after he and his parents moved to his grandmother's house. His parents took him along to meet their new neighbors down the hill, who had been a great help to his grandmother during her bout of sickness. A little boy about his age peered out at him from behind his mother's legs. Bored while his parents chatted with the other adults, he stared at the boy, and the boy uttered a brief cry and hid.

The woman looked down at the boy holding on to her skirt, then at Haru.

Haru didn't like being stared at, but he didn't want to hide like the other boy had. He looked up at his mother instead. "Mama."

"Yes?"

He pointed at the other boy and waited. It often took a while for adults to figure out what he wanted, but they usually did eventually. It was less trouble to wait it out than to try and make them understand.

The wait was longer than usual, but finally, the other woman, whom Haru would later come to know as Auntie Tachibana, squatted down and spoke directly to him, which he liked. "Are you asking about Makoto-chan?"

Haru assumed that was the boy's name. He nodded.

The man next to Auntie Tachibana said something, but she ignored him. She turned slightly sideways so that the boy was exposed. "Makoto-chan. This is Haruka-chan. He's our new neighbor. Will you say hello?"

The boy, Makoto, shook his head in a panic before ducking behind his mother again.

"Mmmah... Mmao..." Haru scowled, frustrated at his inability to say the boy's name. "Magogo!"

The boy peeked out again. His eyes were wide, his mouth open. Then his eyes squinted up as he _laughed_.

Filled with fury and embarrassment, Haru burst out crying.

His mother knelt and picked him up.

Haru didn't remember what happened then, but there was lots of talking and then they probably left soon after that.

***

Haru practiced saying 'Makoto' until he could manage it, and by the next time his mother took him with her to visit the Tachibana house, he could march up to the other boy -- still snugged up against his mother's leg -- and say, "Makoto!" He pointed at the boy's face as he said it, to make clear what he was naming.

Like the first time, the boy's eyes went round. He shrank against his mother and turned his face into her calf. The next moment, however, he peeked out at Haru and offered a tentative smile.

Haru's mother got down next to him and pulled him to her. "Haru-chan. Makoto-chan might not be able to say anything back to you. Don't be mad, okay? He's a good boy, just like you."

Haru huffed. He didn't care if Makoto didn't talk. He just wanted everyone to understand that he could say the boy's name. It was hard. The last two syllables made his mouth feel funny. But he could do it.

Ma-_ko_-to. Ma-ko-_to_. _Ma_-ko-to.

The rest of the visit, the adults sat on the couch and talked. They drank tea (Hot! Don't touch!), and Haru got a little bottle of juice to suck on. He didn't drink much. Instead, he tilted it back and forth in his hands, watching the colored liquid move and change.

Makoto's mother didn't give him any juice. He curled up next to his mother and watched everyone, perfectly quiet.

Finally bored, Haru crawled down off the couch and went over to the other boy. He watched Makoto watch him. He offered his juice bottle.

Makoto just stared at him.

Irritated, Haru shook the bottle and said, "Juice!"

The adults had stopped talking.

Haru's mother said, "Haru, do you want to give your juice to Makoto-chan?"

"Mm."

Makoto's mother said, very softly, "Makoto-chan. You can take it if you want. Mama won't be upset."

Makoto looked up at his mother. After a long time, he looked back at Haru. He reached out and took the bottle. He didn't drink any. He glanced at Haru, then, copying him, he tilted the bottle back and forth. A smile grew slowly on his face, and eventually, just like the first time, his eyes squinted up and he giggled.

Haru sat down on the ground, feeling satisfied.

It was only then that he noticed that Makoto's mother was crying, and Haru's mother was next to her, rubbing her back.

Makoto dropped the bottle and turned to put his arms around what he could reach of his mother's body.

"Makoto-chan, it's all right," Makoto's mother said, through brief, hiccupping sobs. "I'm crying because I'm happy. Mama loves you. Mama loves you, okay?"

She didn't look very happy -- but Makoto nodded over and over, rubbing his forehead against her sleeve.

***

Haru and his mother often went to see Auntie Tachibana and vice versa. Their house was just down the hill. Sometimes Haru's mother let go of his hand on the way back so he could climb up the steps on his own.

Most often, Haru played with his toys on the floor -- several plastic fish and a dolphin and a crab and a fishing boat, and also a pig and a horse and a dog and a lion and some popsicle sticks and shells and sea glass, plus a plastic box with shapes cut out on the sides. Haru liked to make the box a zoo for the animals. He carried the boat around and fished the horse out of the rug pasture and fished the pig out of the stick sty and fished the crab out of the water (of course), and he put them in the zoo, then started over again.

Makoto didn't have any toys, or at least, he never got them out when Haru visited and he never brought any when they visited Haru. At first, he only watched Haru play. After a while, he began to pick up Haru's toys sometimes and put them in the box, too. Haru let him, even though Makoto didn't have the boat, and so that was wrong. One time, though, he took the one that Haru had been just about to get himself, so Haru told him, crossly, "Stop that!" and Makoto dropped the mackerel he'd been holding and ran away back to his mother's side.

"Haru-chan. That wasn't nice. Say sorry." Haru's mother frowned at him.

Haru already felt bad, so he immediately said, "I'm sorry, Makoto." Makoto came back and sat a little closer to him. He didn't pick up a toy again, but he smiled. Haru thought it was funny how the boy's eyes went away when he smiled. "Makoto," he said, pointing at the boy's mouth.

Makoto tipped his head to one side, confused.

Haru scowled, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted.

But then the other boy laughed, and his eyes went away just like before, and Haru nodded. "Like that," he said.

Makoto smiled a lot more after that.

Haru let him pick up his toys and put them in the zoo. He even let Makoto jump the horse out of the zoo and run away. Sometimes, he chased after Makoto with the dolphin. They pretended they were riding them over the ocean and mountains until Haru got tired and said they should go home to the zoo together.

Afterward, Haru sometimes drew pictures of what they had done. Makoto mostly just watched Haru, but one time, he drew a little circle next to Haru's school of mackerel. He said it was a crab.

Makoto's mother asked if she could have the picture, and Haru said yes. She hung it up on the board by her kitchen.

***

When Makoto came over, he liked to visit Grandma. He still didn't talk, but Haru could tell from how the other boy would smile when Haru would point toward Grandma's room. Then Haru would ask his mother if they could go visit. Mother would pack a little cloth bag of snacks for him and Makoto, and an orange or some other fruit for Grandma, and then she and Auntie would wave and say, "Enjoy your trip! We'll miss you! Come back soon!"

Makoto would laugh behind his hands and bounce up and down on his toes. Then they would head off.

Grandma had her own little room but she didn't come out every time Haru called her, only sometimes. When she did come out, she would greet them and clap her hands as if she were surprised. She'd nod at whatever Haru had to say. Makoto would hand over the piece of fruit, and she would exclaim, "Oh my! Thank you so much, Makoto-chan," and point to the ledge where Makoto would carefully, carefully place it. "Good job," she'd say, and Makoto would make his biggest, proudest smile.

Sometimes she told them stories, and sometimes she would sing. She asked Haru questions and stroked his hair with her wrinkled fingers. After a while, she started to stroke Makoto's hair, too. She never asked him the kinds of questions she asked Haru: "What did you eat today? Have you drawn something new? How is Papa? Is Papa still sad? Do you like apples? Can you count to five for me?" Instead, she asked Makoto, "Are you happy here? Do you still want to stay?"

Makoto always answered with an emphatic nod.

***

One day, when Haru went to visit, the picture with Makoto's crab was gone.

***

Haru's father and mother had a big fight. They said Makoto's name a few times and Haru's name a lot of times.

The day after the fight, they went to Makoto's house together. Uncle Tachibana was there, too.

They all sat around the coffee table. Haru's mother gave him his sketchpad and his crayons and told him to draw whatever he liked. He was in a bad mood, and all the adults were _staring_ at him, so he just sat and glared at the empty paper.

"Haruka," his father said.

Scowling harder, Haru turned his face to the side.

"Haru-chan," his father said again, softer. "Will you draw something for us, please?" He held out a blue crayon.

Haru pouted some more. But he picked up a green crayon and drew a tree.

"Will you draw us a crab, Haru-chan?" Auntie Tachibana's voice was high and shaking. Haru didn't like it.

He drew a dolphin instead.

"Haru-chan. Is Makoto-chan...?" He looked up when Uncle Tachibana didn't say anymore. The tall man shifted on his seat on the couch. He held out one hand as if to touch Haru.

Haru dropped his crayon and sat back on the floor. He was confused and annoyed and he wanted to leave. He went to his mother and crawled up into her lap.

His mother kissed the side of his head. Usually, he didn't like that, but this time he turned his face into her chest. "Haru-chan, will you tell us, is Makoto-chan here right now?"

Haru didn't like answering stupid questions. His parents used to ask him a lot of stupid questions when he was little. After he started talking, they did that less, but he remembered. He shook his head, angry and irritated.

"He's not here?" Auntie Tachibana sounded sad.

Haru huffed, impatient. He turned and pointed at Makoto. "Makoto," he said.

Everyone turned to look at the other boy. Makoto uttered a squeak and hid his face in his mother's sleeve.

Auntie Tachibana picked up the sketchpad and a red crayon and put them on her lap. "Makoto-chan, will you draw Mama another crab?" Her voice was shaky again. It made Haru's stomach hurt.

Makoto shook his head. He looked like he was going to cry. That made Haru angry.

"Don't cry," he said. He didn't want Makoto to cry. He didn't want Makoto to be scared. He wanted Makoto to smile. He wanted Makoto to be happy. He wanted Makoto to want to stay.

Climbing down, he went to Makoto and picked up the red crayon. He drew a crab with lots of feet, like his toy. He held the crayon out to Makoto.

Makoto sniffed. He looked at Haru. He opened and closed his mouth. He made a few almost-crying sounds. Then he wiped his face. "Haru-chan?"

It was the first time Haru had heard Makoto speak. Makoto's voice was high and soft, little more than a faraway whisper. "Mm. Haru-chan," Haru affirmed.

Stronger now, Makoto said again, "Haru-chan." He smiled, though not enough to make his eyes disappear. He took the crayon.

Haru heard one of the adults make a sound, but he didn't pay attention. Makoto had said his name! He was happy. He pointed at the paper. "Crab."

Makoto giggled. "Crab," he whisper-spoke. He knelt up so he could reach, and he drew a smaller crab next to the big one. "Mama and baby crab," he said. Then he laughed so hard that his eyes went away and he shook all over.

That made Haru smile. "Mm. Baby crab." He crawled up next to Auntie Tachibana and he gave Makoto a hug.

  


END.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this story, you might try these:  
[Inevitable](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14408391) (Free!), by kuonji  
[Best Freinds Forever](https://archiveofourown.org/series/525070) (Stargate Atlantis), by kuonji  
[Hugs And Kisses](https://archiveofourown.org/works/284264) (Wilby Wonderful), by kuonji  
[Save Me From My Children](https://archiveofourown.org/works/816300/chapters/1544558) (Batman), by heartslogo  
[look both ways](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14822823) (Free!), by broniichan  
[Cold Spots Mean Less Aircon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17249477) (Free!), by mousapelli


End file.
